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Helping Hands Northern KY

Helping Hands Northern KY

Owner: David Sarker

After successful careers as an airline pilot, in Federal Law Enforcement and leadership positions in the Air Line Pilots Association International, David decided it was time for a change. Looking to spend more time with his children, he needed a business that would keep him close to home and allow him the flexibility to be there when his children needed him. Thus Helping Hands NKY was born.

HHNKY is a state licensed Personal Services Agency providing in-home care for their clients, who currently range in age from 5 to 100 years. 99% of their clients are over the age of 65. HHNKY provides a safe, reliable and caring option for people who need assistance but would prefer to stay in their own homes. Among the services offered are grooming & hygiene care, meal planning & preparation, light housekeeping and companionship.

The agency was registered as a business in August of 2010, but David was determined to study up and learn everything needed to make his agency absolutely best in class. They were licensed by the state of KY in 2012 and very soon after signed on their first client. He was able to secure his first government contract in 2013, winning a second one in 2014. Since then, his client base has continued to grow both through contracts as well as by earning many private pay clients.

What's Great About My Mentor?:

My mentors have been incredibly helpful, intuitive and supportive of his business. He approached SCORE to help with the issues of marketing, profitability and most importantly, cash flow. My mentors were serious about doing business the right way. They were never cruel or judgmental, but also did not hold back when they saw something 'off' with the way I was doing things. Over time I started to rely on my mentors to hold me accountable for being diligent with business, especially my finances, and to always plan ahead.

The mentors were crucial to fixing my cash-flow problems. With their guidance and experience, I was able to update our pricing structure and billing timeline, which eliminated my cash flow problems within a short time. With that problem solved, I was able to do a better job of marketing, and be more disciplined in my financial planning.

Just a few months ago, I was also able to grow significantly as a business through the acquisition of another company's revenue stream. As soon as I knew about the opportunity, I reached out to my SCORE mentors who were ALL willing to be available, with less than 24 hours notice, to help me out. They reviewed the plan, listened to what the owner of the other company had to say, ask poignant questions and act as an advisory board to me. With their guidance, I was able to get great terms for the transfer of business and grew by over 30% over a month.

Aside from all the nice words I can say about the role SCORE played in the success of my business, I believe the numbers easily speak for themselves as well, our revenue has increased 4X over the last 2 years.

I am humbled by the support I have received from the Cincinnati Chapter of SCORE and I will forever be grateful. I recommend this group of mentors to any business owner who seeks guidance and is willing to do the work necessary to be successful.

Most Sincerely, David Sarker, CEO/President

How SCORE Helped:

David came to SCORE after meeting Mary Willenborg at a Chamber networking function in 2016. His business was solid by then, but he knew he could do better. Over the past year, David and his SCORE mentoring team have worked on cash flow, pricing options, marketing, metric identification and profitability. David has had to make some difficult decisions, but it has paid off in steady growth both in gross revenue as well as in a higher net income.

David is also committed to giving back. In good times and bad, HHNKY has continually donated a certain amount of money to supporting local churches as well as to help run a school in Bangladesh.